Coimhlint
by Nainari
Summary: With the death of his father, Ava's life change forever. She has new responsibilities and a lot to worry about. Life seems to throw many changes in her way, when she is forced to live with her father's best friend. Slightly AU. Re-telling of Love Define Us.
1. Hope

**Coimhlint**

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><p><strong>So this is my new version of Love Define Us… LDU was my first story here, and while I liked a lot of the things of it, I have always wanted to change the way I decided the story to go, but I could get the itch of going on with the story, till, I finally after a long break and a couple of works of sewing and a lot of cooking recipes, I figure out what was wrong with the story lol!<strong>

**So I'm doing a re-telling, changing character names when needed, cutting out others and simply making myself happier about this. So I hope I can make you all happy along the way too.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Hope**

_"__Hope is the thing with feathers _

_That perches in the soul _

_And sings the tune without the words _

_And never stops at all." _

**Emily Dickinson**

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><p>I stand before a mirror, with my nursemaid rushing about getting my hair ready. I stare at my reflection, wondering how I am supposed to carry on. A gentle hand makes me walk towards the entrance, as I walk thru the endless corridors that saw me grow up; I wonder how I'm going to take care for those who resided under the care of my father. Years of training allows me to stand tall, chin up, eyes dry and back straight.<p>

We finally arrive to the main hall and my step flatters when I take in all that is inside. My father is resting in the middle of the room, his face still sporting that kind smile he gave me before passing away. People have left little mementos around him to make his passing thru the veil an easy one. Taking a deep breath, I walk towards my place at the head of my father, where I'm going to stand for the rest of the ceremony_._

The Elder stands and with that the songs that all have compose to commemorate my father's life starts. The song is slow and peaceful at the beginning; it talks about the start of my father as the head of the clan. I allow myself a moment to close my eyes and take comfort out of the words. The pace on the music picks up, signaling the marriage of my parents and soon my part in the song begging's. I cannot help but let out a strangled laugh, which has many of the presents turn look at me with a knowing smile. The peaceful pace and the more exotic mix up tangled on what we were. I have always being a ball of energy that came into my father's life to wreck it… running, always searching and acting so less lady like. As the song enters a slower interlude, the doors of the halls open and the song is interrupted.

My mother is standing there, her hair completely dishevel and her eyes red with tears. Her eyes found mine and something wicked stand there for a moment before the grieving widow takes place again. My heart clenches and I wonder if it's so terrible that I'm wishing for my sweet father to be alive instead of her. I wonder how her song will sound. Where it be any love in it? _Yes,_ a part of me answers, _there was love at the beginning, before…_ I let my shoulders fall, before I catch the small twitch of my mother's lips, now that she is standing right in front of me. Tears are streaming down her face, but her eyes remain cold and detached. My mind feels numb and the notes of the song are lost in me. The air inside the room feels tense, and a solid unmovable presence comes to stand behind me. I don't need to turn my head to know is Cedric, my father's loyal advisor and our chief of security.

I blink a couple of times, and I realize the song has long ended. Taking a step back, I allow for the men to take my father outside towards the lake, where he will make his last travel towards the veil. Cedric pass next to me, making sure to brush his arm on mine.** Chin up, clear eyes and confident step.** I can almost hear him saying that to me, so I collect myself and walk behind them, as its fit of my station. Each step has an air of finality to it, and as my mother falls in line to walk next to me, my stomach recoils.

"I should have known that you were going to make this easier for me." She whispers with a pleased smile just for me. "But I wonder, how does it feel to be the reason why the person you cared the most is no more?"

I gasp and she smirks one last time, before adopting her grieving widow posture and walks in front of me. My feet get caught with my long black dress, but before I can even stumble to catch my feet again, a soft tug gives me balance again. My nursemaid Evelyn is playing with the arm of the dress, smoothing it, all over again.

"Don't believe a single word she tells you," her touch is comforting and her words final.

I give her a small nod, and she stops for a moment, before resuming walking behind me. The rest of the way to the lake is silent, with only my thoughts as my companions, and I make myself not to think about what my mother said, to keep it together till this is done and the state of the leadership of the clan resolved. As we stand in the edge of the lake, my father is gently placed in a boat that appeared just a couple of months before. As soon as the body is placed, the boat moves towards the center of the lake. Someone gives me my bow and an arrow, which is lilted for me.

_I'm not even able to start a small fire for his passage._ I bitterly think, before I aim towards the boat and release the arrow. Soon different blue flames start to consume his body and the rip on the veil accepts him, as he is consume and transform into tiny little lights.

"And we see you sail to the eternal lands." I whisper softly.

How long I start here, is anyone guess. The sun is half drowning into the lake, and the last blue flames dance across it. A strong hand on my shoulder takes me out of my moment of grieve.

"Whatever happens in the next twenty minutes, I want you to follow every order I give you without complaining." Cedric seems calm but on edge, I nod and walk behind him, a little bit towards the right. "Everything will be alright, Ava. I promise you this."

His tone is resolute and his hands at his sides are set in fist. Evelyn comes and stands by my right side, I see her bow is out and ready. I observe the group of people before us and I can't help but make a pause on my walk. _The Council._ My breath is coming in harsh, quick takes. My mother is nodding and she looks pleased by something.

"Aiofe," the Elder calls me, "we are vey sorry for having to do this in a time like this, but your clan is very important to be without some kind of leadership." I blink confuse, for the moment not following. "Your father last wish was for you to take over, but with barely seventeen years old, we cannot allow for this to happen." I know for sure my eyes are wide open, and the stand of Cedric and Evelyn changes around me. "As the widow of your father, we have chosen your mother as the successor. Of course, this is only temporal, till you are of age…"

My whole world halts, people move around me, and I know words are said, but I can only watch as my mother nods slightly, her fake tears coming to live again, and I fight to reach for something to help me to hold on in this sea of madness. _Nothing makes sense anymore._ I think as I see the Council go away and my mother fully facing me.

"Come on Aiofe, you should have known that this was going to happen." The fake tears are long gone, and only the coldness of her brown eyes remains. "Your beloved father is gone, and as for now on, you belong to me."

She takes a step forward, but before she reaches me, a sensation of being pull away in the middle of black smoke intensifies. Someone is dragging me towards a place, while I cannot help but stare at the empty space before me.

"Ava," Evelyn tries to get my attention, "come, we need to move."

I turn around, as I realize that Cedric must have teleport us away. We walk for a space of five minutes before we reach a black SUV with the driver waiting for us. Cedric takes something from the back and presses it to my chest, where I automatically move my hands to hold the package.

"She is taking you to the airport; there Lionel will be waiting for you with a plane ticket to get you out of here." So many questions start to pile inside my head. "When you arrive to the other airport, another ticket for your final destination will be waiting for you."

"How…?" I whisper.

"I knew you mother was going to make a move, so we prepared in advance." He pushes me inside the SUV, making sure to get my seatbelt in place. "You will be going to live with your father's best friend for the time being." He places a hand on top of my shaky one. "We will find a way to fix this."

I stare into his onyx eyes, and I shake my head slowly. "I can't do…"

He rudely takes me by the shoulders and makes me look at him, the seatbelt hurts my chest, but I forget about it when I see the resolution, fear and something else in his eyes.

"Who are you?" He states in a calm deep voice. I look at him, wondering if he has lost his mind, but he shakes me again. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ava O'Connell," my voice is shaky, but as the pressure in my shoulders turns a little bit painful I carry on, more steady, "I'm daughter of Sean O'Connell Lách, chief of the North clan."

"And because you are his daughter, you can do it, and you will do it." He lets my shoulders go. "I will fix this, but you need to heal your wounds and fix the problem with your powers." He opens his mouth, but then quickly closes it again. He is about to close the door, when I whisper.

"Be safe, please."

He nods and closes the door, taping on the hood. I silently pray to the Gnéithe to look over my Caomhnóir. I close my hands tightly around the messenger bag that Cedric gave me, fighting the tears that are threatening to fall.

_It's only rational for me to be out of the way._ My nails are digging into my palm and looking towards the road that is taking me far away from home. _Like this… I'm only in their way._

I hold into my necklace, where the picture Charlie, my father and me is kept safe, with one of Cedric and Evelyn. _I can do it, I will fix my problem and then, the Council will have to listen to me._

With a new resolution on my mind, I let the memories of the time spend with Charlie Swan and my father give me strength to take over the need to sit down and collapse.

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><p><strong>So tell me what you think of this new version of the story. I will love to receive your comments about it.<strong>


	2. Unusual

**So… I present you the Chapter 2 of this story. I truly hope you enjoyed it and have a nice time reading it. Just to make sure, since this is the first chapter where a Twilight character appears, I do not own Twilight, though I would gladly own Seth, lucky for me I have my own real Seth :).**

**I will see you at the bottom!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Unusual**

_Faith consists in believing when it is beyond power of reason to believe._

**_Voltaire_**

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><p><em>Seth POV<em>

Life in Forks without Vampire covens attacking you has become… boring at best. I spend most of my dinner times with my mom and Charlie; and most of the weekends with the Cullen family. Jacob and Sam settle down their different points of view and we have become again a big happy pack (with Jacob as an alpha since Sam retired to live with Emily) that has a really good relation with our vampire family.

So I graduated high school through home school by Carlisle and Esme. Charlie and mom married after my graduation, Leah accepted a job in a hospital as receptionist on Seattle, and for six months I was clueless about what to do with my life. One day Charlie gave me some papers and told me to take a look. A cop, Charlie was recommending me to be a cop. For me it was perfect, helping people, eat some donuts, flexible schedule, but most important, Charlie believed that I would make a good job at it, and wanted for me to work with him. So with Charlie's recommendation, with a couple of advices from my mom and with the endurance of a wolf, I left to Seattle to become a cop. Easy as breathing was the training for me, and sooner that I though I was coming back to my hometown. Unexpected to me, was to find out that mom have made changes to our old house and it was all mine now. Having my own home, a dream job, a patrol once a week with the pack, and no enemies trying to kill my family, my life is almost perfect… the only thing I'm missing is my imprint. With 25 years old, I stop looking for her. Mom still tries to get me to date, Leah calls me and tells me to hang around girls, I could probably learn to love one and Jacob tells me that we never know when or how our imprint will appear before us.

Like I say, things around here are pretty peaceful, so when something changes even if it's small you are bound to notice. Truth to be told, I never though it will be Charlie. His weirdness started with a phone call, we were talking after dinner on his house and the phone ring. He answered and I helped mom with the dishes. When he came back, he was almost in tears and mom run to his side and held him. I didn't say anything that day just gave him a quick hug and told him that tomorrow I would take his shift, if he needed some time off. He gave me a small nod.

After this, Charlie started to spend a lot of time talking on the phone. But today everyone at the station is looking at the chief wondering if we should run, or stand very still. Watching as Charlie walks from wall to door of his office and gets almost tangled with the phone's cord should be kind of funny, but in reality I'm wondering when the vein in his head will pop. I prepare Carlisle's number on my phone, should the need arise. Suddenly, Charlie drops on his chair, hanging and rests his forehead against his hands. I get up, and take some hesitant steps towards his office.

I take a quick look towards the remaining people on the station and some give me a blessing before I knock. Charlie's head snaps up, he seems older, and with many problems going around.

"Can I help you?" His voice is tired but steady.

As I close the door I say. "Actually, I wanted to ask if you feel like going out for a walk." He raises both of his eyebrows and moves slightly to the right, to see what is going on in the station. "I just thought you need some fresh air, and people can always get you on your phone or thru the radio."

He nods and gets up, moving slowly to grab his jacket. I ought to ask mom if everything is alright with them. I open the door of his office and I do my best not to roll my eyes as the new guys stumble on their feet to get out of Charlie's way. Charlie ignores them and the others that made a gesture of saying good bye to him. He gets into the cruiser and I follow, I remind silent while Charlie drives thru Fork, and close to the reserve he takes a detour. The dirt road is small and the cruiser barely fits, he stops the car when we are about one mile in. He goes down and I follow, curious about the place, and wondering what is going on. Charlie never talks about feelings, and whatever he is handling right now has to do with his feelings. We walk for about three quarters of an hour in complete silence; the trees as we walk further seem older and thicker than the ones around the reserve. There is something between the trees that are about 200 meters from us. I narrow my eyes and distinguish something that looks a lot like windows, Charlie stops and looks up towards the canopy.

"I always come here to think." Charlie finally speaks. "I find a lot of peace in this place along with many good memories." He looks at me and resumes walking towards the place. "This belongs to an old friend, though probably he would say he owned nothing and the land merely provided a place for him and his people to stay." His tone is bittersweet. "He is… was a great man."

I only nod and continue following him. He stops as he reaches a couple of vines that he brushes off, reviling an old oak door. He pushes it gently and with a wicked groan the doors open. I stand in the entrance with my mouth wide open, but quickly overcome my surprise to follow Charlie that has disappeared. Behind the door, something very kin to a living room appeared, it seems out from a fairytale, the wood floor has several engravings that are lost behind dust and leaves. I hear glass noise from the room at the left, and I walk towards it. It's a kitchen, and I sit down in a chair next to Charlie, who hands me a glass with something that looks and smell a lot like whisky.

"I have run a lot around this forest, and never cross this place." I say.

Charlie shrugs and takes a big drink of his glass. He stares at the leaves dancing and falling before the window of this place. I look out, appreciating the different view and I can't help but feel we stepped inside a different dimension. I observe Charlie, expecting to see something different in him, but he's still the same man I have know all my life. Somehow, I'm waiting for him to announce he ain't human… I shock my head and take a sip of my drink. A little bit strong, but dulled quickly by my organism. _Seems even Charlie can keep secrets from everyone._ I wonder if Bella knows of this place.

"I was invited to this place when I was around 13 years old. My best friend Sean, after several years of known each other brought me here and made me promise to protect its location with my life if necessary." He turned around and looks me directly into my eyes. "Can you make the same promise to me?"

I'm taken back by the intensity of his eyes. "Of course, Charlie."

He smiles and looks out again. We continue to enjoy the sounds of birds; the wind thru the trees and suddenly the place takes an oddly purple shade. Charlie smirks when he notices my surprised face. He gets up and leaving the glass in the table, and he is looking for something inside his jacket. He drops a bottle that seems to contain honey and walks out of the place. The ride back to Forks is quiet and I can see Charlie more at peace with whatever is happening.

"Sean passed away a week ago." Charlie blurts out as we take the road to his house. "He left behind a seventeen year old daughter, who he named me as her guardian." As he parks in front of the house, he reminds inside the car, his grip on the wheel tense. "I don't know if I can be the man she deserves as a guardian. Her life is a nightmare right now and I don't know if I can do right by her. Let us face that even my daughter shun me out when something big was happening to her."

"To be honest, Charlie, I don't know what to say." I say. "But if you give her half the love you give to Bella, Leah and me, then she is going to do great." I give him one of my silly smiles and add. "You are a great grumpy old man."

He smiles and gives me a playful slap in the back of my head. We go inside to have dinner with mom, none of us tell mom about what happened. I say my good nights, and I take a last look towards Charlie, a new kind of respect growing inside me for him. I nod in his way and walk back towards my house, not bothering to get my truck back on the station and enjoying the full moon.

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><p>I arrive the next day to the station to see Charlie locked up in his office, typing furiously and talking in his phone. The other coppers remain ignoring and taking a two meters detour from his office. I can see the look of determination and a little bit of fear on Charlie's face as he hangs up. He entangles his fingers while resting his elbows on the desk, his eyes never leaving the phone. I pick up my travel mug and fill it with coffee, finding Charlie's travel mug, I filled it for him, going towards his office to greet him for the day. He is hanging his phone again and reaching for his jacket on the back of his seat.<p>

"You are in charge till I get back." He says as he rushes out of his office, I follow him. "I will be taking the day off, so you will need to cover me in the night shift." As he gets inside the cruiser, I give him his travel mug. "Thanks, I will see you tomorrow.

I nod and watch him pull out from the station. He takes the road and takes off faster than I have seen him do in years. I head inside the station and see what is needed to be done for the day. I send a text to mom, asking her to drop me some lunch whenever she can, and maybe dinner.

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><p><strong>Comment would be lovely!<strong>

**I will see you all next week for the next chapter!**

**Thank you all!**

**Nai**


	3. Comfort

**I was barely able to keep the week schedule to update lol. I have this chapter ready about 3 days ago, when I suddenly read it and I was like… no… I don't like it and sit down to arrange it.**

**I finally was able to finish today, and I want to give big THANKS to Blue… for being such an awesome friend and keep motivating me to go on with this story.**

**So I live you to chapter 3!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Comfort**

_Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more._

_It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion to clarity._

_It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend._

**_Melody Beattie_**

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><p>The red haired girl finally stepped into Denver's airport, she rubbed her shoulders to fight the numb feeling that seventeen hours of flight gave her. <em>I wonder how Cedric and Evelyn are.<em> She vaguely makes count and the last time she saw them was about nineteen hours ago. As she pulls the phone out of her brown messenger bag, she forms in the line for the immigration desk. As she waits for it to power up, she looks inside the different papers inside the bag. _I will read them when I'm in a more private place,_ she thoughts and quickly writes down her message, as the phone finally is fully operational.

**Almost there. How are you? How is everyone doing? AO**

She sends the message to both of them, hoping to hear from them soon. She bits her lips softly, feeling like a coward for flying to safety, while her Caomhnóir are dealing with her mother and the Council. _6:45 am, I have about two hours to catch my next and final flight._ She checks the phone again, hoping somehow that the message entered and she didn't hear or felt it. But Cedric or Evelyn remains silent and as she brings Evelyn number to the screen, she quickly close the phone again and waits on the line. She vaguely recalls the name of the person that smiled gently to her while doing the paper work, she gives a tired smile as she receives her passport and walks towards the next airline to check in her documents for the last flight.

People give her funny looks, but she ignores them. She already knows that the long black dress and Lionel's coat make her look weird enough. _Better if they ignore me, or none try to make conversation with me._ She thinks as she waits on yet another line. Her mind wonders towards the funeral of her father, and how her mother and the Council wouldn't give her at least one day to mourn in peace. Her vision goes blurry and she makes her best to don't let tears fall down. _No time for mourning now._ She chides herself bitterly. So many problems ran in her head that she doesn't pay attention to anything the person in front of her is saying. She can only nod and hope that her luggage is already moving towards the other plane that should land in Port Angeles, where Charlie should be waiting for her.

She quickly reads the notes made by the attendance, memorizing the number of the gate, as a hollow feeling sets in the pit of her stomach. A little kid running almost collides with her; she gives him a gentle smile as he apologizes. From the corner of her eyes, she notices three dark figures standing near a restaurant close to the gate. Her smile vanishes and she moves as natural as she can towards the bathrooms she just passed. By the time she enters the bathroom, her heart is beating against her ribcage and her breathing becomes elaborated. _Call Cedric._ A voice in her mind suggest. _I can't, he has already enough problems as it is. Besides, what could he do?_ She shocks her head frustrated, she walks into a stall and lock the door behind her. She opens her messenger bag and goes thru its contents till she finds a small baby blue leather notebook.

_Thanks Evelyn._ She thinks as she quickly navigates thru its pages, till the she finds the right one. She rips it off the notebook and presses it against the door. The reaction is instant, the sounds around her die and she let herself breathe a little, before pulling out the phone. The first ring disturb the tense silence in the cabin, her heart beating so fast, it seems ready to burst.

"_Hello"._ A male voice says and she lets a strangled sob. "_Ava?"_

"Hello, Charlie." Her voice is shaky and barely a whisper, but a door closing in the background of the call indicates that he heard her.

"_Are you okay?"_ She fights another sob, as she rests her head against the tiles behind her. "_Where are you?"_ Ava take a couple of deep breathes, trying to hold back the emotions that are threatening to overwhelm her. "_Ava, please answer me."_

The despair in Charlie's voice helps her to hold back her emotions.

"I'm in Seattle's Airport." Her voice trembles. "My flight goes up in about twenty five minutes." She looks towards the door of the stall, where the yellowish paper is starting to crumble. "Charlie…" Pure fear takes a place in her heart. "I have seen one tracker and two holders at the airport."

Ava concentrates on her breathing, ignoring every other feeling in her body. She waits for Charlie to help her overcome this part; her mind is so full of other things that have trouble focusing on something else.

"_Can you get into the plane without them seeing you?"_ Charlie asks.

"I might, but if they see me…" Ava doesn't finish the sentence, because Charlie curses.

Ava closes her eyes and presses her hand to her chest, where the pain has become unbearable. She hears Charlie muttering things to himself and the clicking of the keypad of his computer.

_"__How much time we have left?"_ He suddenly asks.

Ava opens her eyes slowly, keeping her deep breathing pattern. The paper against the door is slowly turning into dust.

"Maybe three minutes."

_"__Great."_ Charlie's voice is clipped and commanding. _"This is what are you going to do."_ Ava nods. _"In about seven minutes, the airport will patch you out as the last passenger for a Paris flight. As soon as you hear it, I want you to get out of that stall, put your coat or jacket in the trash and then walk to the store and buy the worst perfume in stock. While the announcement will make the holders move, the tracker will remain, but hopefully the bad odor will be enough to cover you."_ The paper finally crumbles into dust and the sounds of the airport start to fill in the stall. "_Call me when you are on the plane."_

As he hangs up, she takes a moment to repeat everything he has said and with great care takes off the coat, searching the pockets for any remaining object. She reaches a small pocket inside the coat, feeling a bottle inside, pulling it carefully she discover it's a bottle of Lionel's cologne. She opens it up, smelling the awful combination of banana, onions and chili. She can't help but laugh softly, remembering how an awful smell can be so endearing. She gets up slowly, going out of the stall and drops the coat in the trash. She drops the cologne in her hands and starts to rub it along her hair, dress, neck, wrist, and even the messenger bag. There is a little left of the cologne when she finish, she closes it well and put it inside the bag.

**Aiofe O'Connell, please report to gate 37.**

As the announcement fills the bathroom, she moves out, ignoring the looks the other people is giving to her dress. The silver runes that run along the sleeves seem to make everyone turn around to see her, and she can see several people trying to politely point her out to their companion. Ava checks the time. _About fifteen minutes to be able to board._ She takes a quick detour in the first clothes shop she sees, grabbing the first coat she sees. She pays, ignoring the gestures the lady makes due to the odor. _And to think Lionel gives this cologne the credit of all his conquest._ She refuses the plastic bag and quickly put the coat on, reaching for gate 13. The tracker has remained in the same spot, its blind eyes looking directly at her, but as it sniff as she passes along, it ignores her. Letting out a breathe she didn't knew she was holding, she starts to run to catch the flight. Thanking the attendance, she moves towards her seat with the phone already calling Charlie.

"I'm on the plane; I will see you in about three hour and a half."

"_Good, I will be there on time to pick you up."_ He says.

"See you soon Charlie."

"_See you soon, Ava. Now try to rest."_

The adrenaline is soon leaving her system, her body is now fully aware of the old aches and she turns off the phone. She bits her lips softly, trying to ignore the pain in her back and her chest, looking for a comfortable position. She is aware of the last instructions before the plane takes off, the weird sensation of being pull down on her stomach stops being a novelty to become an aching memory of a time when she make this travel with her father. Her eyes start to burn, and she closes it tightly. Taking on the slow breathing pattern again, she is able to fall into a restless slumber.

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><p>Ava is awakening by a gentle hand in her shoulder. She sits quickly, and the pain in her back makes her flinch.<p>

"I'm sorry, miss, but we already landed in Port Angeles." The young stewardess' voice is soft and her smile apologetic. "Lane 3 will be where you will be picking up the luggage."

"Thanks." Ava answers, as she follows the rest of the last passengers out of the plane.

The pain in her back settles as a remainder of what happened, and starts to dull as she picks up her luggage. She hesitates as she comes closer to the exit doors, wondering if Charlie is really waiting for her there or maybe… She shakes her head and straight her back, ignoring the small stab of pain, she walks thru the exit door.

She makes a quick scan for dark figures in the crowd, but everything seems clear. A brown messy hair in the middle of the crowd makes her heart leap and ache at the same time. Charlie is there, waiting patiently as always for her to make the first move, his chocolate eyes are full of sorrow and understanding while his posture is relaxed yet alert. His eyes found her violet ones and that is enough to pull her into a slow yet frenetic walk. Every step closer to Charlie, Ava's strength seems to fail her, but before she can hit the ground, strong arms hold her, and the scent of gunpowder and pine fills her nose. She awkwardly hugs him back, keeping a deathly grip on her luggage, fighting to keep all the tears inside. Charlie is humming an old nursery rime while making small soothing movements on Ava's back, she finally lets her luggage to drop messily on the airport floor and grip Charlie like he is the only thing keeping her alive.

"Hello, sweetie pie." His voice is like honey for Ava, and she seeks refugee in his neck. Charlie chuckles softly. "Being a while since you did that."

Ava takes some shaky breathes before loosing her grip on Charlie, making sure her feet are stable enough to support her. Charlie keeps a hand on her back, gently supporting her, before caressing her nose and poking it gently with his fingertip. Ava lets out a giggle and she gives a nod to Charlie.

"Let's get out of here."

Charlie picks up the luggage, guiding her out of the airport, towards the parking lot, where the cruiser is waiting for them. As they walk, Ava can't help but notice the changes in her father's best friend, the aging lines in his forehead are more pronounced, there is something heavy about his step and the lines around his eyes are more of worry than from smiling. As he gives her a questioning look, she shrugs and smiles softly. _No matter how much Charlie's physical appearance changes, his eyes are still gentle, his hair is still untamable and the warm a single touch of his infuse in my body are the same._ Ava moves inside Charlie's space, craving that paternal warm she has been missing the last days. When they arrive to the cruiser, Charlie opens the passenger door and helps her to get inside, securing the seatbelt around her. He takes his time loading the luggage on the trunk, pretending he doesn't see the way she is moving till she finds a comfortable position.

Charlie finally gets inside the car, setting a country music station low enough that the tune is hear but the words are not. The drive is silent, enjoying the company of the other. There is no need to say how much they miss Sean or how unsure they are about the actions they will need to take in the future. Charlie keeps his eyes on the road, softly humming along the songs he knows. Ava is enjoying the transition of the city to the forest, picking up the difference between several trees growing up close to the main road, trying to spot the few animals that stand closer to the road. As they reach Lake Crescent, Charlie slows down, giving Ava enough time to appreciate the rhythm of the water in the lake, the different colors of the water as the sun hits and watch as some birds dive into the water. As they pass that trek, Ava turns her head a little bit and smiles to Charlie. Not long after the lake, Ava finally succumbs to the heat inside the car, Charlie's hum and the movements of the car. Charlie smiles, and moves a strand of red hair out of her face.

Charlie keeps humming along the way, with the unreasonably fear that if he stops, Ava will wake up. When they finally arrive to Charlie's house, he unloads the luggage and moves it towards her room with the help of his wife Sue. When Ava doesn't wake up, Charlie gently sets her in his arms and moves her to her bed. Taking her shoes off, and giving her a kiss on her forehead, he goes out to spend some time with his wife. For the first time in weeks he finally feels he is able to do this.

* * *

><p>Sunshine starts to fill inside the room, lazily caressing Ava's honey skin. Ava opens her eyes slowly, sitting up carefully, minding the pulls she feels around her back and chest. Her lavender eyes observing the baby blue walls with purple flowers, a small desk in the wall near the door and a small closet. On the carpeted floor, her luggage is resting, but as she looks towards the window, she smiles as a love seat is next to the window. She carefully gets up, and sits on the baby blue love seat, arranging her dress so it covers her feet. She pulls her legs to her chest and embraces her legs, watching the different colors at play. The trees look almost black and in between them, different shades of blue meet different shades of yellow and red. Soft steps are heard coming towards the room, but Ava doesn't mind turning around to see who is. Charlie's steps are always calm and secure, even when there is an emergency at play.<p>

"I have forgotten how peaceful this place is." Ava whispers when Charlie reaches the door.

"Being a long time since you where here." Charlie says, as he walks towards her. "How are you?"

Ava looks up, shrugs even when the words _I don't think I will ever be okay again,_ are stuck in her tongue. She focuses on the sunrise again, hoping Charlie got the message. Charlie sits on the arm of the love seat and gently pulls Ava towards him. Ava goes, resting her back in his legs and laying her head on his knee. Charlie starts to run his fingers thru her hair, joining her in a couple of silent minutes. Ava smiles, loving the fact that Charlie will never pressure her for answers.

"Do you want to eat something?" Charlie asks, but as Ava shakes her head, he pulls her hair softly. "You need to eat." Ava looks up and rolls her eyes. "And a bath." Ava eyes open wide and she places a hand on her chest. "I know I told you to buy the ugliest perfume available, but I think you over did it."

Ava can't help but laugh.

"Lionel's cologne." She mutters.

"I rest my case." Charlie smirks and pulls her hair again.

Ava shakes her head and turns back to watch the last of the sunrise.

"Later." She promises.

They both set into a peaceful moment, Charlie arranging her hair and Ava dosing off. A couple of minutes has pass, and Charlie debates himself if he should move her to the bed. He gets ready to move her slowly, when suddenly she sits up, gasping for air, her eyes wide.

"Dad." She says breathless.

Her whole body is trembling, one hand pressing against her chest and the other trying to reach the middle of her back. Charlie tense for a minute, before taking the hand that is reaching for her back and press gently against the palm, bringing her back to the present. He moves slowly till he is standing in front of her, before reaching for her other hand, he can see confusion and pain inside her eyes. He pulls her, making her stand and guides her towards the bathroom down the hallway, never leaving her sight. As they reach the bathroom, he opens the door and takes Ava inside and he finally lets go of her. He takes a purple towel and put it on her hands.

"Take a bath." Ava opens her mouth to protest, but Charlie silence her with a pointed look. "Take a bath, I will ask Sue to bring you something comfortable to wear. Then you will go downstairs and eat something hot and nice." He stands by the door. "Trust me."

"Always." It's her instant replay. "Something black, please."

He nods and closes the door, leaving Ava lost for a moment, before she starts to take off her dress and underwear. She avoids looking at the full mirror at the door, she steps inside the shower and let the water run till is hot enough. As the hot water runs down her back, the pain dissipates and she lets her mind wander towards Cedric, Evelyn, Lionel and her clan. She gathers her hands into fist, fighting against the impotence. She should be fighting for her right place as the head of her family, not enjoying hot showers and Charlie's hospitality. She presses her hands against the wall, willing for the water to heal everything so she could get back; but the water remains unresponsive and the red rune on her arm glows dimly. Tears blend with the water, as her frustration settles. She bits down her lower lip, hoping to keep quiet. A knock in the door makes the tears to slow down and reminds her that now is not the time to lose it.

"Come in." Ava's voice breaks in the last word.

The door opens, and light steps are heard. Thru the curtain, Ava sees the silhouette of a petite woman get close to it. There is some rustle of clothes and the silhouette disappears around the edges.

"I hope you like what I choose." Sue says.

"Thank you."

The door closes, leaving Ava alone with her thoughts again. Even if she feels the tears burning, she focus on the mechanic of cleaning her hair and body, every time a thought about them enters her mind, she just focus even more in the cleaning, leaving her skin red and tingling. She goes out of the shower and dries her body, ignoring the mirror again, but when the sight of her back catches her eye, she stares at her reflection. Angry red lines cover most of her upper left back, running down to meet each other in a circle just above her kidney. She turns around slowly, grapping the towel around her, she observes for the first time the shell like scar on top of her right shoulder blade. She traces it, but pain flares and her body feels cold out of the sudden. She kneels as her legs grow shaky, staring at her reflection. Something black at the back of the reflection make her eyes narrow, but she quickly discovers is one of her favorite yoga pants. _Pull yourself together Ava._ She chides herself and slowly starts to put her clothes on.

She sees a basket in the corner and puts her dress in there, making a quick detour to her room, where she spread the towel on her bed. Finally she goes downstairs, where the first thing she sees is Charlie cleaning his shotgun. Hearing her soft chuckle, Charlie looks up and raises his eyebrow, putting down the shotgun against the wall.

"Come on," Charlie signals for her to follow, "I want you to meet someone."

They enter the kitchen, where a woman with long hair and copper skin is focus on the task of cooking. Charlie clears his throat and the woman turns around. _Sue_. Ava thinks and smiles.

"Sue." He calls the woman and gives her a fond look. "Ava, she is my wife Sue." Sue is extending her hand to Ava, who quickly reaches for it. "Sue, she is Ava, the little girl I was telling you about."

Ava gives an annoyed look to Charlie, and Sue laughs softly, keeping hold of her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ava." Sue moves closer to Ava and whisper. "Charlie has told me a lot of things about you."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Sue. And knowing him, he could only say bad things." Ava jokes.

Sue smiles kindly, before pushing Ava towards the table, where juice is already served in glasses.

"Sit, you need to eat something. If what Charlie said is right, you have spent more than a whole day without food." Ava shrugs. "And don't tell me you aren't hungry, because I won't let you get up till you finish everything I serve you." Ava looks hopelessly towards Charlie, who is hiding his smile behind his coffee mug, but the wrinkles around his eyes betray him. "You are so thin!" Sue continues as she starts to pile up food in front of Ava. "There is no way I will let you starve to death in this house." She places a bowl of fruit before her, and she places her hands on her hips. "What are you waiting for?"

"A new pair of stomachs?" Ava replays as she stares wide eyes at the amount of sausages, pancakes, eggs and fruit in front of her.

Sue shakes her head and motions for her to start eating, while Charlie chokes with his coffee. Ava is giving him a smug look, but soon Sue brings two plates full of food and Ava starts digging into her food with a mutinous look. The taste of home made food makes Ava to miss Evelyn even more. Ava eats silently, observing as Sue puts more food on Charlie's plate when he is engrossed with his newspaper, and she gives her a wink when Sue notices she is being observe. Ava chuckles, and let this homely feeling settle her. By the time the breakfast is done, Ava is surprised that she has finished all the food, but Sue is giving her a knowing smile.

"I can ask for a couple of days off." Charlie says, looking hesitant. "I know it must be difficult to be left alone…"

"I will be fine." Ava cuts him off, smiling. "I have Sue, and I can get to know her better without you here. Plus I need to set straight the record for what you have said about me."

"I would love that." Sue says, as she gives Charlie a pointed look for him to go out.

Finally Charlie capitulates and gives each one a kiss on their forehead, and goes out of the house, leaving Ava and Sue to picking the plates to clean.

* * *

><p>Ava can't remember a time when a stranger came to her life and make her feel so welcome and part of something like Sue has done it. The last few hours has been something she thought it would be hard to obtain, even with Charlie around, but Sue is different than what she thought, maybe because in the last five years everything was so crazy that talking for long hours or even visiting Charlie was out of the picture. She has missed Bella entering Charlie's life again, Charlie falling in love… She walks toward her room and catches her name written with blue and purple glitter. She traces her name with her fingertips, amazed that a complete stranger would have gone that far for her.<p>

She walks inside the room, which she has been using for a day, but already feels something akin to home. She picks up her messenger bag and retrieves the letters and her phone, she powers it up, as she sits in the bed, leaving the letter her father wrote to her on the night stand. Two knocks make her reach for the phone, leaving the letter to rest on her legs.

**We are all okay. E**

**May not get in touch for a while. We will call you as soon as we can. E**

Ava feels much better and she rest against the head board, opening the letter from Cedric.

**_Banphrionsa,_**

**_I wish things were different. For so long we did things to protect you, and I'm afraid that what we did only do you more harm. Even at my age, I still make mistakes when it comes into the protection of people under my care. There are so many things I cannot say thru this letter, but we will have a long chat soon. For now, stay strong, remember who you are, and that no matter what we have faith in you._**

**_Cedric_**

**_P.S. Evelyn recommends you the chapter 11 on the book _**_Between Dawn and Dusk.__** I recommend the chapter 6 from **__Dante's Inferno._

**_P.S.' Keep your bracelet, necklace and earrings with you all the time._**

**_P.S.'' Don't get into situations where you need to take off your ankle bracelet._**

Ava rolls her eyes in affectionate exasperation; she gets up and search in her luggage for the books, setting them inside the bag, before setting her mind of placing every single piece of her luggage in her rightful place. As she places the bags next to the closet, she set her eyes into her father's letter. She picks the letter, but shakes her head and set it down. She moves towards the love seat, and watches as the sun disappear behind the trees.

_Please, Talmhaigh provide them strength to face whatever is going on, and give me wisdom to find a way to fix what is wrong with me._ She presses her hand against her chest and another on the window, enjoying the cool feeling of the glass. She hopes against everything that the Gnéithe still hear her, that even when she made them angry, they will still look after the people she cares for. She closes her eyes as tight as she can, as she prays for forgiveness. Sue's steps come from the stair and she cleans her face, even if she hasn't let out a single tear. There is a soft knock at the door, and Ava turns her head towards Sue and path the empty space before her. Sue sits down, brushing her knees with Ava's toes.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ava only nods. "When I was little I used to run from my house to a small cave near the ocean, and watch the sunset. I stop doing it, as I grew up, but after my husband died, I needed something besides my children to remind me why it was worth keep trying. So one day, I found myself at the same cave, watching the sunset and wondering why something so beautiful had to end… and then the stars and the moon appeared on the firmament." She turns see Ava watching her with curiosity. "Want me to stay here with you to wait for the starts to appear?"

Ava smiles and extends one of her hands to Sue. She holds her hand and smile, enjoying the friendly company and the beauty of nature. Ava gets comfortable, letting her mind to wonder to those who she is missing.

* * *

><p><strong>So let me know, what you think, and hopefully next week I will have another chapter ready!<strong>

**Nai**


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